Ayush Mehra feels men — both on and off screen — should be able to show their vulnerable side. “In the age of social media, we are talking about self-love, but I think we need to practise it more,” says the actor, who is popular for his numerous stints on the web, including Please Find Attached, Call My Agent Bollywood and Operation MBBS.

Recently seen in the web series Minus One: New Chapter, Mehra adds, “I also realized that men don’t have to be ‘men’ all the time. It’s okay to accept mistakes and keep egos aside. Men are allowed to be vulnerable. These are the things that I explored as an actor and a human being through the show. It’s okay for men to accept their mistakes and keep their egos aside.”

Mehra, who plays Varun in the project by writer-director Shubham Yogi, which gives an honest look at love and breakups in today’s times, talks about the biggest takeaway from the show: “Time heals everything. As the show progressed, we explored deeper human emotions. I understood that everything in life cannot be explained in black and white because there is a lot of grey. And with reasoning and understanding between two people, a lot can be solved. That aside, you have to love yourself first in order to give love to someone else. A lot of people do not understand this concept. One can do a lot of things for the one they love, but if they do not love themselves and be happy with themselves, they cannot give happiness to another person.”

About his co-star Aisha Ahmed, who portrays his love interest Ria, Mehra says, “Aisha and I have been friends for eight years, and we have worked together earlier as well. So, we are not only comfortable with each other as co-actors but also as individuals. We trust each other a lot. When you are acting as a couple, the chemistry comes from the comfort you share in each other’s company. And she knows that when I am doing something on screen, it is not to take her scene away or put her down. We didn’t have to filter our thoughts. Instead, we decided to go with the flow. That is the primary thing for creating on-screen chemistry.”

Actor Aisha Ahmed and Minus One: New Chapter co-star Ayush Mehra have been receiving rave reviews for their crackling chemistry in the web show. When asked what went into creating such a connection, Ahmed says, “Ayush and I put in a lot of effort into creating this on-screen chemistry. As there were intimate scenes in the show, we took a 15-day workshop to get it right.”

The actor continues, “It was really helpful and we learned a lot. We also sat with the director of the show to understand the script better and that was equally helpful.”

As Minus One: New Chapter highlights the friendship between a boy and a girl, we ask the actor if two people of the opposite gender can be just friends. Sharing her experience on the subject, Ahmed says, “I have been just friends with boys, but they would end up expecting more from me. It broke my heart. Thankfully, I have also met some boys who are my best friends without any romantic feelings. So, yes a girl and boy can be friends. I hope more people understand that romance is not a prerequisite for such relationships.”

The Adulting actor adds, “In small towns, people still believe that a boy and a girl cannot be just friends. Pushing the narrative of romantic relationships is simply wrong. In fact, in the [latest] web show we have touched upon topics, some dynamics of a relationship that are usually unexplored in any love story.”

Actor Rajat Barmecha, who grabbed the spotlight 12 years ago with Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan, has today, found a foothold on the digital platform. Bring up the dozen years that have passed since his debut, and he says, “The journey has been productive. I have made two parallel journeys — one was personal and the other was professional. On the work front, I admit I faced several ups and downs; it was like being on a roller coaster. It was a different world when I entered show business. It took me two years after my debut film, Udaan, to even understand how this industry really works. When I look back, I do feel that I could have done things differently. And yet, I wouldn’t like to change anything about what I’ve experienced so far. At a personal level, I have experienced growth and maturity. From the raw energy of absolute youth, when I used to get intimidated by people and things around me to now, I’ve become more confident, composed and self-assured.”

After making a notable debut, the actor’s career took a long pause before the OTT space rebooted it. Rajat, who has been part of web shows such as Love Lust And Confusion, Girl In The City and Hey Prabhu! adds, “The industry is very different now,” reasons the actor, adding, “Earlier, producers were not ready to invest as much money on a newcomer, who was all of 21. It was less about a story and more about the actor. People have now begun to focus on content. Makers want to experiment and work with newer actors. It’s the perfect time to be an actor. In these years, I don’t feel that I’ve lost anything. These years only prepared me better, so I can take on more work and deliver some promising performances. I was offered some work, but I turned it all down because it didn’t work for me. If I had become successful 10 years ago, I probably would have lost myself about five years after that. Things are in an upswing now, probably because I can now handle it. I’m excited about the project I’ve recently completed. I’ve worked on a few web shows and I wanted to get back to films, which is also gradually taking shape. I just hope people like what I deliver.”

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While an opportunity to play a cricket professional is one that most Indian actors would latch onto without apprehensions, Kacchey Limbu actor Rajat Barmecha admits to exercising caution while taking on the film. “I am not a cricket enthusiast, and was not good at the game,” admits the actor whose character is meant to be a superlative cricketer.

“While [co-actors] Radhika Madan and Ayush Mehra also had to learn the game over 45 days, my character had to look technically sound. So, my coaching sessions would begin an hour or two earlier than theirs, and would end later too. Often, I wasn’t afforded the off-days that the others were. Before the training, I didn’t even know what cover drive and square cut were. Today, of course, my game is  significantly better.”

Shubham Yogi’s directorial debut, which premiered at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, is headed to the World Film Festival of Bangkok on December 3. Subsequent screenings will be held at the International Film Festival of Kerala on December 12 and 14. “It is great for a small [budget] film to come out and travel to various festivals. Consequently, the festival round gives the movie a much bigger platform and reach, back home,” points out Barmecha.

He concedes that ahead of the TIFF premiere, he was uncertain about a foreign audience’s reaction to a film about cricket. “But, it was wonderful to see that people were reacting to every [emotion]; they even reacted to a scene that was a commentary about an issue.”

With the French comedy, Call My Agent, gaining worldwide popularity, it was heard that Karan Johar was keen to procure the adaptation rights to develop a similar series for Netflix India. However, in October, Applause Entertainment bagged the rights for the Indian adaptation that is being headlined by Rajat Kapoor, Soni Razdan, Aahana Kumra and Ayush Mehra.

The Shaad Ali-directed workplace comedy went on floors last week at Filmalaya Studios. Deepak Segal, head of content, Applause Entertainment, reveals that the team initiated discussions with TF1 Studio in France to set the ball rolling on the Indian remake. "[Generally] we [try to] understand why we are convinced that this story will work well for the Indian audience. This understanding, along with our expertise, helps us convince the format owners that they can trust us with the job. Once that is done, agreeing on the commercial terms is easier. When we approached TF1, the format owners, with our vision for the Indian adaptation, it wasn't much of a challenge in getting them to agree to give us the rights," says Segal.

The Indian version will be seen through the lens of four celebrity managers, who leave no stone unturned to ensure their star clients are at the top of their game in Bollywood. Each episode will feature an exaggerated version of a real-life celebrity. "The world of talent managers set in the film industry has not been explored here yet. Writers Hussain and Abbas Dalal have done a great job of writing the six episodes under Shaad's supervision." Besides working with a lean team and having mandatory thermal screening daily, Segal says the studio has appointed a COVID inspector to monitor the safety measures on the set.